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In a move to make a change in the lives of communities of colour, NBA teams LA Clippers and LA Lakers have come together and launched The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles. This alliance also includes other notable sports teams present in Los Angeles. The mission is to formulate programs which will improve lives and impact social justice.
This initiative has come at a politically sensitive time. The ongoing Black Lives Matter movement has shown the inhumane behaviour meted out to people of colour, especially in the United States. Police brutality has been a significant point of focus and an initiative like this will make a major impact on the people suffering from social injustice.
11 LA teams have come forward to be a part of this initiative.“The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles is an unprecedented collaboration by sports organizations recognizing the impact they can have by working together, and they should be commended for seeking to make significant changes in communities of colour,” said Renata Simril, President of the Play Equity Fund.
Notable LA Lakers and LA Clippers players had come out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Lebron James and Kawhi Leonard both had expressed their disappointment over the police brutality which was well documented and condemned globally. The NBA has also come in support of the movement.
NBA took a step in the right direction by allowing the players to wear a social justice message on their jerseys which can be chosen from a variety of league approved list. However, LA Lakers star LeBron James and LA Clippers Forward Kawhi Leonard had both made it publicly known that they won’t be wearing a social message on the back of their jerseys.
LA Lakers and LA Clippers would be looking to win the NBA championship
Both the LA Clippers and LA Lakers have been pipped as the favourites for the NBA championship. The pair of LA teams had a blockbuster offseason where the LA Lakers acquired New Orleans star Power Forward Anthony Davis to pair him up with LeBron James. The LA Clippers responded by acquiring Kawhi Leonard from the Toronto Raptors with whom he won an NBA championship last year. Paul George from Oklahoma City Thunder joined forces with him to make LA Clippers a threat to the team they share a court with.
All the offseason acquisitions have made a positive impact on their teams. LA Lakers and LA Clippers will be looking to lock horns in the Western Conference finals once the NBA season resumes on the 31st July in the Orlando bubble.
However, this initiative by LA Lakers and LA Clippers is bigger than basketball and should make a significant impact on the fight for social injustice. The ALLIANCE: Los Angeles and the Play Equity Fund will hold a Sports for Social Justice Symposium on July 22, to coincide with National Youth Sports Week, which is July 20-24. This webinar will include leaders from the sports organizations, as well as social justice leaders and sports commentators.
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